Global positioning system recorder
First Claim
1. A method for recording the global position of an object, said method comprising the steps of:
- recording operational parameters for a global positioning system recorder on a portable storage device;
installing said storage device in an apparatus operationally connected to said object, said apparatus connected to an antenna capable of receiving GPS satellite signals, said apparatus havingGPS circuitry for determining said position by analysis of GPS satellite signals received by said antenna, andprogrammable control circuitry for reading said operational parameters from said storage device, said control circuitry recording said position on said storage device in accordance with said operational parameters; and
providing power to said apparatus so that said control circuitry writes said position on said storage device in accordance with said operational parameters; and
said writing step including;
measuring a value of a parameter of interest;
checking a previous recorded position of said object;
checking a previous recorded value of said parameter of interest corresponding to said previous recorded position; and
writing a new position of said object to said storage device only if said parameter of interest has changed since said previous recorded position was written.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A global positioning system recorder (GPSR), comprising a housing that contains a GPS receiver and associated circuitry, an antenna external to the housing and operatively connected to the receiver, a memory card slot, and control circuitry inside the housing for interfacing the GPS receiver with the memory slot. In operation, a memory element such as a PCMCIA card containing a set of operational parameters for the GPSR is inserted into the memory slot. The receiver reads the operational data from the memory card, receives GPS signals via the antenna, processes the signals to determine the position of the recorder, and writes the position data (along with the date and time) to the memory element. In a preferred embodiment, a new position data point is recorded only if the GPSR has moved since the last position data point was recorded, and/or if a parameter of interest has changed by at least a preselected amount. The GPSR may also be connected to one or more sensors that measure various environmental parameters of interest. Data from these sensors is processed, integrated with the corresponding time/position data, and stored on the memory card for later analysis.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method for recording the global position of an object, said method comprising the steps of:
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recording operational parameters for a global positioning system recorder on a portable storage device; installing said storage device in an apparatus operationally connected to said object, said apparatus connected to an antenna capable of receiving GPS satellite signals, said apparatus having GPS circuitry for determining said position by analysis of GPS satellite signals received by said antenna, and programmable control circuitry for reading said operational parameters from said storage device, said control circuitry recording said position on said storage device in accordance with said operational parameters; and providing power to said apparatus so that said control circuitry writes said position on said storage device in accordance with said operational parameters; and said writing step including; measuring a value of a parameter of interest; checking a previous recorded position of said object; checking a previous recorded value of said parameter of interest corresponding to said previous recorded position; and writing a new position of said object to said storage device only if said parameter of interest has changed since said previous recorded position was written. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An apparatus for recording the global position of an object, said apparatus comprising:
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a housing; GPS circuitry inside said housing, said GPS circuitry capable of receiving GPS satellite signals when connected to an antenna, said GPS circuitry analyzing said signals to determine a global position of said apparatus; means in said housing for receiving at least one portable memory storage device; and programmable control circuitry inside said housing, said control circuitry being electrically connected to said GPS circuitry and said receiving means, said control circuitry including; means for reading operational parameters from a storage device installed in said receiving means, means for writing positional data to said storage device, said writing means responsive to said operational parameters; means for measuring a value of a parameter of interest; means for checking a previous recorded position of said object; means for checking a previous recorded value of said parameter of interest corresponding to said previous recorded position; and means for writing a new position of said object to said storage device only if said parameter of interest has changed since said previous recorded position was written to said storage device. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification